Special Hobby 1/32 Brewster Buffalo Mk1

18/10/202110/10/2022 / Bruces Scale Models / Leave a comment

Built: 2016
Aftermarket Used: Nil
Decals: Montex masks

This one had a period on The Shelf of Doom due to me damaging the windscreen. Special Hobby kindly came to the rescue and supplied me a new one free of charge. Exceedingly generous of them seeing as I was the one who cocked it up. I added a few additions to the cockpit such as a British reflector gunsight and armoured glass screen to reflect the British modifications. All markings are sprayed using Montex masks. I have since discovered a few colour inaccuracies, the fuselage band should be sky blue and there should be no yellow ring on the underside roundel. I still like it though. Its actually a kit that I would like to revisit as I do i have a soft spot for the tubby Buffalo. This being the third one I have built, well fourth, as I remember building the old tamiya kit as well.

Brewster Buffalo Mk 1 67 SQN. R.A.F Burma 1941

Special Hobby 1/48 Brewster Model 339 Buffalo

18/10/202118/10/2021 / Bruces Scale Models / Leave a comment

Built: 2014
Aftermarket Used: Nil. OOB
Decals: Kit

The second part of my double Buffalo build. Like the other build, this one also went together quite effortlessly.

To paint it I used the then popular “black base” technique. I remember not liking it that much as I didn’t think it gave you a lot of range with the colours. The colours on this were all lightened considerably to portray a faded machine that had been operating under a blazing hot Northern Territory sun.

Extracolour paints were again used from my now diminishing supply.

I think this one turned out better than the U.S one I completed just prior.

Brewster Buffalo. 1 P.R.U SQN Royal Australian Air Force. Hughes Air Base.N.T 1942

Special Hobby F2A-3 Buffalo

18/10/202118/10/2021 / Bruces Scale Models / Leave a comment

Date Completed: 2014
Aftermarket Used CMK Armament set,

Decals: Montex masks

Another double build in which was eventually a pretty productive year after a few false starts!
From memory these Buffalos were lovely kits to build, being fairly straightforward, even the CMK gun bays fitted without too much scraping and grinding
The completed models were painted with extra colour paints which were my preferred brand until export restrictions stopped them coming into the country. I still have several tins I am slowly using up on current projects.

For the USN one, I could not go past those oversized early war stars, which I found on a Montex mask set. This were the second set of markings I had masked after my dakota I found the process a little more difficult lining up all the elements and there was a fait bit of touching up to do. I cannot remember what colour I used for the USN blue grey, the underside grey was Extracolour with a dark wash from Flory Models. A small piece of brass mesh was inserted behind the oil cover opening. Looking at the model now, you can see I have rushed the weathering with none on the undersides or gun bays. Despite this, it still looks nice sitting in the cabinet with those big stars.